Even though Donald Trump got 52% of the vote among white women in 2016 and he won the senior 60+ vote, older white women are taking the lead in local political organizing activities against him and his agenda, according to research done by Harvard professor Theda Skocpol. Soon after the election, she began visiting counties where Trump won in key midwestern states and she found that in every one there were women taking the lead in local groups. Specifically she found the women were “older, college-educated white women: retired teachers, librarians, health care people, some businesswomen.” The same activism has also been seen among local activists in New York State as well, including in upstate regions with Republican members of Congress.

The women who are retired obviously had time for these political activities and they also had the motivation. The first big battle of the Trump Administration was about repealing the Affordable Care Act and many of these women may had involvement with health issues. Of course, the day after Trump was inaugurated there was the Women’s March in Washington and in hundreds of local areas. These marches created the framework for nationwide activism for women. In addition, Trump’s comments about women and news reports of alleged sexual harassment have fueled women’s activism.

While the research focused on these white women in states Trump won, African American women have also been some of the strongest supporters of Democratic candidates and they have played key roles in opposition to Trump. Their activism was noted in the victory of Alabama Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones over Republican Roy Moore.

Click the link below to the story in the Huffington Post, “The Political Re-Awakening of the Middle Aged Suburban White Woman.”

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gny53

I have been a senior advocate for most of my career. I was Executive Director of the New York StateWide Senior Action Council and the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans. In 2007-2010 I was the Director of the New York State Office for the Aging
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